Slip
The premise sells itself: a thirtysomething woman is transported to a parallel life each time she orgasms. But, actually, this lends itself surprisingly well to digging deep into millennial frustrations, anxiety and ennui. Zoe Lister-Jones plays Mae Cannon, a New York art curator who feels stuck in a rut with her life – specifically with her longterm husband. When she cheats with another man, she wakes up in a new life where she married him, and so the cycle begins, with each new relationship forcing Mae to re-examine her identity and ideals. Does she want, or get, her original life back? No spoilers here, but without ever zapping the smart, sharp comedy that carries it through, this introspection is relatable for many. Watch it on ITVX
Somebody Somewhere
We’ve said it before, and frankly we’ll keep saying it: we implore you to watch this gorgeous comedy, which comes to a close this year after three delightful seasons. Starring the brilliant, big-voiced standup Bridget Everett as Sam, who returns to Kansas after the death of one of her sisters, and breakout star Jeff Hiller as her best pal Joel, it’s about friendship and found family and grief and great singing – plus Sam’s sister’s cracking line of foul-mouthed cushions. There aren’t many shows that could pair sleepovers and STIs so hilariously. Run don’t walk. Watch it on Now
English Teacher
Nuanced characters, stellar performances, a barbed script that took aim at the way curriculums have become political battlegrounds – without ever feeling preachy: this was one of the best comedy debuts of the year. Its tale of English teacher Evan Marquez and his ragtag crew of teaching oddball pals was full of heart, great gags and the ability to wryly lampoon gen Z from a place of love. Season two cannot come soon enough. Watch it on Disney+
Girls5Eva
When Netflix revived Girls5Eva – a Peacock sitcom about a reformed early-noughties girlgroup that was cancelled after two seasons due to lack of interest – there was joy in the streets. Finally, one of the most overlooked comedies would at last get its flowers. And yet Netflix just cancelled Girls5Eva too, due to lack of interest. Still, the public’s loss was our gain. It meant that this year we got six more episodes of beautifully crafted joke-first comedy than we were expecting. What a gift. Watch it on Netflix
After the Party
If this had been released earlier in the year it would surely have topped the best TV of the year lists all over the world. Arriving in the UK with utterly glowing reviews from its native New Zealand, Robyn Malcolm is a revelation as Penny, a teacher whose life has been incrementally falling apart ever since she accused her then-husband Phil of sexually assaulting a minor at his birthday party. The whole thing is shot through with a horrific sense of where-to-next dread, and Peter Mullan keeps his performance as Phil unbelievably ambiguous throughout. But this is Malcolm’s moment – and she plays it immaculately. A masterwork.
Lost Boys and Fairies
If you haven’t yet wept at this beautiful pearl of a show about the incredibly trying and affecting adoption process, stop what you’re doing right now. Sion Daniel Young and Fra Fee are wonderful as Gabriel and Andy, the couple attempting to adopt. But it is their Jake (Leo Harris, in his first major role) who is the real scene-stealer. Emotionally raw with an excellent script, plus cabaret performances, this is unlike anything else you’ll watch in a long while. Watch it on iPlayer
We Might Regret This
Not only does this sexy comedy drama upend the usual telly tropes about disabled women’s lives – it is also full of spit-out-funny zingers that made it one of the funniest shows of the year. Created by Lee Getty and Kyla Harris, it follows sardonic thirtysomething Canadian artist Freya (Harris), who is tetraplegic and was “disabled way before it was cool”. She is living in London with her new lover Abe (Darren Boyd), when her chaotic “ex-best friend” Jo (Elena Saurel) turns up and becomes her personal assistant. Behind the sarcastic quips and sharp observations, Freya and Abe have a romance that you really want to work out. And Sally Phillips is fantastic as Abe’s ex. Watch it on iPlayer
Jury Duty: Murder Trial
An intriguing nugget that hasn’t been talked about nearly enough, Jury Duty: Murder Trial is a total one-off in social experiment TV. It took a real-life case, got actors to recreate it for two separate juries, and gave us a rare and fascinating look inside the judicial system. Jurors cried, had fights, and showed us how easily humans can switch sides. But above all, it left us reeling with the possibility that the two deliberation rooms would reach different verdicts – and what that would mean for society. Eye-opening and frankly terrifying. Watch it on Channel 4
A Man on the Inside
Given Michael Schur’s hard comedy pedigree as the showrunner of both Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, the first episode of his new show A Man on the Inside was slightly flummoxing. The humour was much more gentle, the pace more sedate, than we’re used to. And yet in the end it worked perfectly. The cranks and weirdos were pushed to the peripheries, leaving Ted Danson to be charming and melancholy in the central role as a widower spying on residents of a care home. A show so warm that you didn’t mind when it emotionally obliterated you. Watch it on Netflix
Boybands Forever
The joyous archive footage of grannies talking about Take That! The weirdly sweet insights into Brian Harvey’s relationship with Daniella Westbrook! Everything Robbie Williams says! This documentary about British male pop groups in the 90s/00s was a hugely colourful watch packed full of astonishing detail and interviews in which participants were not afraid to bare their souls – or take the industry’s grubbier practices to task. Absolute must-watch stuff. Watch it on iPlayer
Big Zuu Goes to Mecca
So open and inquiring is the chef-cum-grime MC in his culinary programming that it didn’t need a great stretch of the imagination to picture him as a brilliant documentarian. But that made this touching, heartfelt look at being a Muslim in modern Britain no less of an achievement, as Zuu went on pilgrimage to Mecca, using his quick wit to befriend seemingly everyone he met – and finding himself movingly overawed by the experience. Watch it on iPlayer
Fargo
The fifth season of Noah Hawley’s TV spin-off from the Coen brothers movie flew so under the radar that 2024 was the year it won over the few who found it – despite its November 2023 release. Juno Temple’s excellent lead performance as a suburban mum with a secret past as a domestic abuse escaper breathed new life into a franchise that many had accused of flagging. She impeccably alternated between perpetrating Home Alone-esque ultraviolence you couldn’t help but root for, and moments of trauma-driven terror. Even Jon Hamm, on disturbingly malevolent form as a violently corrupt sheriff, couldn’t outshine her. Watch it on Prime Video
Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour
Pairing Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark for a cultural odyssey across the European grand tour was a masterstroke that turned a simple telly idea into something really special. It was beautiful watching this odd couple – Rylan, “a ginger kid from a council flat in Stepney Green” who was expected to “stay in his lane”, and Rob, an Oxbridge-educated criminal barrister with an interest in art and opera – build a friendship in which they shared differences, perspectives and an openness to learn from the world and each other. There was also personal soul-searching, as the two men talked about finding love again after romantic separations. It was lovely viewing, and a lesson to never stay in your lane. Watch it on iPlayer
Josh Must Win
This delightfully daft, high-concept reality TV show was a refreshing attempt to break with the pouting, preening world of wannabe influencers. A celebrity panel helmed by Nick Grimshaw tried to covertly manipulate contestants into voting for the one modest, geeky contestant, Josh, to win – otherwise they’d all lose out on the potential cash prize. As much an interesting peek behind the curtain of reality shows as it was a well-meaning, highly watchable piece of entertainment. Watch it on Channel 4
John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA
For six nights in May, Everybody’s in LA became the most ramshackle appointment television in the history of the medium. Seemingly flung together on the fly, although absurdly stylish, John Mulaney’s attempt at a late night talkshow – broadcast live by Netflix – was a thing of undeniably shaggy charm. The guests were uniformly baffled, the call-ins barely worked, a grocery robot kept invading the stage. And yet at its best, this was event TV. If there was a funnier moment all year than the character Waingro from Heat performing observational standup comedy to the audible delight of Bill Hader and David Letterman, I’d like to see it. Watch it on Netflix
